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The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

The Badass

Requirements:
At least one class level.
A player can only retroactively apply this universal substitution class level to their character if the GM, and every other player with a character in-game, unanimously agree that the character has proven themselves to be a true badass. (Substitution levels can be taken away by the GM if the character begins to act in a manner that they feel is no longer worthy of a badass and/or the class level(s) is(/are) proving disruptive to the game.)

Special: This substitution level can be applied multiple times, so long as the requirements are met each time.

|Business as Usual, A Crowning Moment of Awesome[/table]
(The chart shows that the class has all good save progressions as opposed to a +2 per Badass level, which would be insane. )

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Badass gains proficiency with all weapon and armor types, including improvised items.

Class Features

Business as Usual: When a Badass substitution level is applied to a class level, it is still treated as a level in the original class for the purpose of advancing all class features.

A Crowning Moment of Awesome: A Badass gains a bonus Badass feat as well as access to a CMA pool with a maximum limit equal to the number of Badass levels he has. This pool starts at zero, with points earned every time the Badass gets a natural 1 on a d20 roll. A CMA point can be expended, as a free action, to treat all of the rolls made by the Badass as if they are their highest natural result. This effect ends at the beginning of his next turn. (A player may substitute their bonus Badass feat for any other feat they qualify for, with GM approval.)

Badass Feats

Badass Boast:Requirement: Total Badass
When you expend a CMA point, you may choose to treat all rolls made by an enemy within close range (25+5/Badass level) feet as if they were all naturally 1 until the beginning of your next turn, rather than gaining the benefits of A Crowning Moment of Awesome yourself."I don't care who I have to fight. If he tears off my arms, I'll kick him to death. If he rips off my legs, I'll bite him to death. If he cuts off my head, I'll stare him to death. And if he gouges out my eyes, then I'll curse him from beyond the grave!"

Badass Crewmember:
Whenever an allied Badass earns a CMA point, you also earn one.
(Each character may only earn one CMA point per roll.)"ASTINOS!!!"

Badass Determination:Requirement: Badass Recovery
Whenever you use Badass Recovery to expend a CMA point earned from a saving throw, you gain temporary hit points equal to 12 x your Badass levels."Come with me if you want to live."

Badass Normal:
Badass Commoner levels grant a second bonus Badass feat, and an additional +1 to the maximum size of your CMA pool, on top of the typical benefits of the substitution level."As you wish."

Badass Recovery:
If you would earn a CMA point when your pool is already full, it is immediately expended instead of being discarded. This use negates the natural 1 and treats it as a natural 20."Who the hell do you think I am!?"

Badass Speech:Requirement: Back to Back Badasses
When you expend a CMA point, you may choose to grant the benefits of A Crowning moment of Awesome to an ally within close range (25+5/Badass level) feet, rather than yourself, until the beginning of your next turn."Don't forget. Believe in yourself. Not in you who believes in me. Not in me who believes in you. You should believe... you should believe in yourself!"

Back to Back Badasses:
When you expend a CMA point, an adjacent ally also gains the benefits of A Crowning Moment of Awesome until the beginning of their next turn."We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."

Desperate Times Call for Badass Measures:Requirement: Badass Recovery
If you would earn a CMA point when your pool is empty, you earn two points instead."Fly, you fools!"

Eternal Badass:
If hit point loss, or an effect, would kill you or reduce you to dying, you may choose to expend a CMA point and be put at 0 hit points instead."Is that all you've got?"

Implacable Badass:Requirement: Badass Determination
So long as you have temporary hit points granted by Badass Determination, you are treated as being under the effects of a Freedom of Movement spell whenever it is beneficial to do so. This is an extraordinary ability."I'll be back."

Total Badass:
When you expend a CMA point, treat all rolls made by an adjacent enemy as if they were all 1 until the beginning of your next turn."Do you know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with till you understand who's in ruttin' command here!"

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

It means that if you are playing a level 1 Rogue, and your group lets you swap out for a level in Badass, you still have all the class features from the Rogue class. So, if you take another level of Rogue at level 2, you get the level 2 Rogue features. It's just a long-winded way of saying that swapping in levels of Badass keeps you doing what you already were, only you're more 'badass' while you do it.

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

Give them an ability that works like Fax's Paladin Mantles.

Badassitude
The Badass is an exemplar of kicking ass and taking names. A Badass must choose at least one (and no more than his amount of Badass levels) spell slot of his highest level, one us of an X/day ability, a "special" charge in a wand or similar limited resource. After using such that ability, the Badass is fatigued after 1 round. If the Badass wastes the designated ability on stupid crap, he loses the benefits of this Mantle and cannot use that ability until he atones.

At 1 level of Badass, the chosen ability can be activated even when the Badass would normally be prevented from using it (in an Anti-Magic field, dazed, etc). This may not bypass being unconscious or dead.
At 2 levels of Badass, all foes witnessing the use of the ability (whether by mundane or magical senses) become dazed, even if they are normally immune.
At 3 levels of Badass, the chosen ability takes one shorter magnitude of action to perform (Immediate<-Swift<-Standard<-Full Round<-1 round<-1 minute) to a minimum of Immediate.
At 4 levels of Badass, the chosen ability can be used twice for the price of the one charge, but the Badass is unconscious after using it.
At 5 levels of Badass, the chosen ability may be used even if the Badass is unconscious or dead. The Badass receives one turn in which to act, and then dies. Only a True Resurrection, Miracle or Wish can bring back a Badass that uses this ability.

A Badass may atone by single-handedly slaying a foe of equal CR while heavily disadvantaged, such as in an AMF.

Originally Posted by A_Moon

How many times, when the Fighter says "I draw my sword", did you just want to smack that cheating-optimizer in the face and say "No! You don't draw your sword! You draw Orcus!". When the Cleric says "I run away from Orcus!": "No! You run into Orcus! Rogue tries to hide? He hides behind Orcus! The bard in a tavern on the other side the town tries to order a drink? How about a nice frothy mug of Orcus?

Originally Posted by Guancyto

Perhaps this will sate Flickerdart's endless hunger for assassinations.

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

So can the badass use his ability to cast true res on himself every time he dies?

Yes, but then he dies. Again.

Originally Posted by Hadrian_Emrys

I'll pass, Flicker. The point is not to give new abilities to a character, but to make them more badass at what they do.

They're not really new abilities. They make old abilities cooler, though. But that's alright.

Originally Posted by A_Moon

How many times, when the Fighter says "I draw my sword", did you just want to smack that cheating-optimizer in the face and say "No! You don't draw your sword! You draw Orcus!". When the Cleric says "I run away from Orcus!": "No! You run into Orcus! Rogue tries to hide? He hides behind Orcus! The bard in a tavern on the other side the town tries to order a drink? How about a nice frothy mug of Orcus?

Originally Posted by Guancyto

Perhaps this will sate Flickerdart's endless hunger for assassinations.

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

Extreme Badass -
When rolling a natural 1, one can use the CMA point earned to make the roll be considered a Natural 20.

Bring It On
Expend a CMA point to give yourself an aura of fear. Any opponent with fewer HD than you who gets within 30' of you must make a Will save DC 10+Character Level + Badass Levels + Charisma Mod or become Panicked. The duration of the aura is equal to the number of Badass sub-levels plus the character's Charisma mod. This is an (Ex) ability.

"You want some of THIS? Then COME AND GET IT!!!"

Eloquent Description
You spend a CMA point and a move action to describe, in loving detail, just what you are about to do to your target. If the target has fewer HD than you, he becomes Frightened, no save. If he has fewer HD than you have Badass levels, he becomes Panicked, no save. If he has more HD than you, he gets a Will save (10 + Character Levle + Badass levels + Charisma Mod) or become Shaken. The GM may also give additional bonuses or penalties to this ability depending on how well the description was delivered by the player.

"I've heard that you can actually survive being eviscerated long enough to be hung by your entrails. Let's see if it's true..."

World of Cardboard
This can only be activated against an opponent who has more HD than you, and has just shrugged off everything the party has been able to throw at them, and has reduced you to at least half your hit points. You realize you have finally found a worthy opponent, and no longer feel the need to pull your punches anymore. You spend a CMA point, and all rolls you make this round are automatically maximized. All attack rolls are treated as natural 20's and confirmed critical hits (if your opponent is able to be affected by critical hits). If your opponent is defeated while this ability is active, you regain the expended point.

"You know what my problem is? I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care to not brake something, break someone, never allowing myself to loose self control or else someone could die... but you can take it, can'tcha, big man..."

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

Emong has it right. The example character would have Badass Fighter 2 / Fighter 1 and the character would gain the 4th level bonus feat if he became a Badass Fighter 2 / Fighter 2.

Also, added a couple more feats. I may need to clean them up a bit though.

Flicker: I'm sorry, I misread what your were saying. Your proposal has inspired me. As I ponder the subject, I must confess that I fear for any group that allows a PC 20 Badass levels. I mean, imagine if a Welch-like player got ahold of this system.

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

Lets assume for a moments someone is really badass. I think this classes abdass feat should also allow you to take any other fea you have the prereq for in case your so badass you take all the badass feats already.

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

Agreed. 10+Int skill points should be the case here. Also, if I take two badass levels, are my saves at +3... Or +4? As in, is the badass save progression at double your badass level, or good in all saves?

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

Originally Posted by readsaboutd&d

Please, enough tv tropes.

But.... TV Tropes is amazing?

And this idea is just pure epic in all sense of the word. I should try to convince my DM to help convert it into Rifts/AD&D and use it... I think my Rogue Coalition SAMAS pilot could pull off some nifty shenanigans with this

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

So I'm totally using this in my current game. The party is a group of 5 (Human Factotum, Catfolk Sorcerer, Desert Halfling Rogue, Human Cleric, Goliath Psychic Warrior) and the PsyWar and Sorcerer have both earned one level of Badass. The PsyWar is using his CMA at every opportunity and it's saved his butt on numerous occasions, but I think the Sorcerer has only used it once so far. /shrug

At any rate, the players love it.

Originally Posted by sonofzeal

Lower levels arcane spells are usually a drag, but lower level psionic powers are often just higher ones waiting to be augmented.

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

Originally Posted by jokey665

So I'm totally using this in my current game. The party is a group of 5 (Human Factotum, Catfolk Sorcerer, Desert Halfling Rogue, Human Cleric, Goliath Psychic Warrior) and the PsyWar and Sorcerer have both earned one level of Badass. The PsyWar is using his CMA at every opportunity and it's saved his butt on numerous occasions, but I think the Sorcerer has only used it once so far. /shrug

At any rate, the players love it.

If they aren't using it then obviously they aren't that badass after all. Threaten to take it away from them and watch them ramp up the insane antics.

Re: The "Badass" Universal Substitution Level

If they aren't using it then obviously they aren't that badass after all. Threaten to take it away from them and watch them ramp up the insane antics.

I will definitely use this in the future.

He's probably just saving it for the right moment.

Originally Posted by Doc Roc

Ring of Evasion means never playing a monk with monk levels again. There is just no reason to dip that stuff. I know we're all about using every part of the buffalo here, but can we just admit that it's inedible?